The present invention relates generally to the field of locomotives, and more specifically to the field of winterizing water containing components of the locomotive, and specifically to winterizing the sanitation equipment on-board a locomotive.
It is known to provide toilet facilities on-board a locomotive for use by the crew during the operation of the locomotive. A separate toilet room is typically provided adjacent the cabin to provide privacy for the user. The toilet room is generally provided with conditioned air, and in particular, with heated air during periods of operation of the locomotive in frigid environments. Because the toilet room is heated, there is little concern that the water contained within the toilet and associated piping within the toilet room will freeze and thereby cause structural damage due to the expansion of the water as it freezes. However, the toilet drain is typically piped to a treatment tank located outside the toilet room, and the treatment tank is usually located in an unconditioned air space. Therefore, some form of protection must be provided to prevent the water in the treatment tank from freezing.
It is known to surround the treatment tank and associated piping located in an unconditioned air space with heat trace. Heat trace is a term used to describe any of several forms of heat generating material that is wrapped around or layered over a component. Heat trace typically includes an insulated electrical resistance heater wire or mesh attached to a layer of thermal insulation or blanketing. The heat trace is supplied with an electrical current, thereby generating heat which is trapped against the component by the insulation. While effective to protect a component against freezing, heat trace is expensive to install, to maintain and to operate.